A couple weeks ago I had one of Don's brothers and my sister over for dinner. Such an occasion calls for a special meal. I love trying out new recipes when I'm entertaining. I know some people say that you should cook something you know is a hit when cooking for others, but where's the fun in that? Gets boring. With my recent mussel success, I decided to try my hand at clams. This recipe calls for them to be cooked in a similar way to mussels; steamed in the broth in which they will be served. The tomato-based broth swims with chorizo, greens, and the clams. Serve on top of polenta with a side of crusty bread, and you're good to go!
Steamed Clams with Chorizo and Polenta
adapted from Metrocurean
35-40 littleneck clams, soaked in cold water and shells cleaned
4 links chorizo, removed from their casing
4 garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 large tomatoes, diced
5-6 swiss chard leaves, roughly chopped
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the garlic and chorizo for a few minutes, breaking the chorizo into small pieces. Add the wine and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Add the clams to the pot and layer the swiss chard on top. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until most of the clams have opened. Discard unopened clams.
The clams can be served on their own with crusty bread, or over pasta, rice or polenta. I went with a double-whammy of bread and baked polenta.
Sorry about the poor quality; I was too hungry to get a good pic!
Baked Polenta
~1 cup instant polenta
water per instructions on box
1/4 cup grated manchego cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the polenta according to box directions. Stir in manchego cheese and season to taste. Place in a shallow square tupperware or dish and refrigerate for at least an hour, until firm.
Preheat the broiler. Cut the polenta into serving-size triangles (I had 4) and place on a greased baking sheet. Broil for about 5 minutes, until the top is nice and crispy brown.
No comments:
Post a Comment